Chap. XX.] SOUTHERN AFRICA. 173 



produced by some of my drawings of wild animals, 

 which I exhibited to them. In India even educated 

 natives are exceedingly slow in recognizing repre- 

 sentations of objects, but these unsophisticated dam- 

 sels instantly acknowledged the likenesses, by pro- 

 nouncing the name of the quadruped in an animated 

 manner, drawing the attention of their neighbours 

 to the sight. The Matabili females are neither 

 prepossessing nor engaging ; they shave their heads 

 in the manner already described, and wear a short 

 leathern petticoat, which in most cases is their only 

 covering, although they occasionally also have a 

 flap of leather suspended from the neck. Their 

 skin, from being constantly lubricated with grease 

 and fat, acquires a shining appearance, and is of a 

 dark brown colour approaching to copper. Both 

 sexes occasionally employ themselves in sewing 

 skins, an operation which is performed by means 

 of a skewer or awl, by which they pierce a hole, 

 and afterwards introduce a thread composed of an 

 animal's sinew, resembling our fiddle-strings. Of 

 this substance, which is also used to string beads 

 upon, they are generally provided with a large 

 supply suspended from the waist. So far as we re- 

 marked, the women appeared little oppressed w ith 

 sensibility, although affectionate to their children; 

 the latter wander almost in a state of perfect nudity 

 until the age of puberty. All classes are equally 

 devoted to tobacco, taken as snuff; and the plant is so 

 precious that it is never used alone, but invariably 

 adulterated with a due admixture of earth or sand. 



